Dozens of people have died in a huge fire that engulfed several residential tower blocks in Hong Kong, home to thousands of people, on Wednesday afternoon. Many more are in a critical condition and hundreds remain missing, with the fire continuing to burn into Thursday morning.
The fire was first reported at 2.52pm on Wednesday, at the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po, in the northern New Territories. The exact cause of the fire remains unknown, but officials say it started on the external scaffolding of Wang Cheong House, before spreading to seven of the eight buildings in the densely packed complex.
Sat image of Wang Fuk Court, Hong Kong
As the fire spread, hundreds of residents were evacuated from the complex of almost 2,000 apartments, which house about 4,800 residents, including many elderly people.
video of fireEmergency vehicles parked close to the complex. Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
About 200 fire trucks and more than 100 ambulances were deployed to the scene, according to local media. Firefighters working through the night struggled to reach the top floors of the 31-storey towers where many people were thought to be trapped. A 37-year-old firefighter is known to be among the dead.
Falling debris and the extreme heat of the blaze made it difficult for rescuers to access the building and officials said that since the complex was undergoing maintenance, many residents kept their windows shut and did not hear the fire alarm.
From the mainland, China’s leader Xi Jinping urged authorities in Hong Kong to “make every effort” to extinguish the blaze and “offered sympathies to the families of the victims and those affected by the disaster.”
Bamboo scaffolding is visible around the complex as the fire spreads. Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/ZUMA Press Wire/ShutterstockSmoke and flames rise the fire engulfs the Wang Fuk Court complex. Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
The fire was able to spread quickly across bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that had been set up around the buildings. Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is widely used for construction and the local government has moved to start phasing it out, citing worker safety after 22 deaths involving bamboo scaffolders between 2019 and 2024.
Video of fire. An aerial photograph showing the scaffolding and construction netting. Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
Police said that in addition to buildings being covered with protective mesh sheets and plastic that allegedly did not meet fire standards, windows on one unaffected building were sealed with a foam material, installed by a construction company carrying out maintenance work.
Police officers gather at the complex on Thursday morning. Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
By Thursday morning a number of apartments were still burning, although witnesses said the blaze had noticeably lowered in intensity. City leader John Lee said more than 900 people had sought refuge at temporary shelters.